The Progeny
by AgapeCasablancas
Summary: This is the story of the gang's kids. Troy's son, Jack, and Gabriella's daughter, Isabella, are going through high school. Romance and issuse arise, but love conquers all. REWRITE!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first High School Musical fic. I decided to re-write it because I dug myself into a hole last time. The first chapter is actually just a recap of what I decided happened after the movie ended. I don't own anything except my characters, Jack, Isabella and others. Thanks for reading this and reviews are nice.

Chapter One: Life After High School

It had been the first and last musical for Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. After that, Troy had excelled in sports, Gabriella in academics. The two of them dated for a while, but one day Troy broke it off. No explanation, reason, or why. Zeke and Sharpay dated for about a year then broke up. Sharpay blamed him and his baking for her sudden weight gain.

Chad and Taylor were high school sweethearts and ended up getting married. They still lived in Albuquerque with their two children, Derick and Danny. Chad had remained friends with Troy after high school and they went to the same college. Taylor now worked as a chemical engineer in downtown Albuquerque and Chad was a sports agent. They lived in a big house and sent their kids to East High School.

Gabriella went to college in California and married there. Her husband's name was Dean. He died three years after the wedding in a car accident. She returned to New Mexico later that year, but no one knew because she went by her middle name, Vanessa. She had also changed her last name when she got married. She had a daughter, Isabella Gabriella Meno. She was a year old when Vanessa moved back

Troy also got married. He married, of all people, Sharpay Evans. They were married four years after high school and had a baby that year. The baby was named Jack, after his grandfather. Troy and Sharpay had made a decision not to tell Jack about his father's one time musical performance, they would tell him only of Sharpay's theatric excellence. The also let him choose his own path in life, never pressuring him into anything.

Ryan Evans didn't get married. He dated a lot after high school but never found "the one." He hoped to and never lost hope. He truly believed that he would find her. He worked as a high school drama teacher... and yes, he figured out that drama was spelled D-R-A-M-A.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Mom." Isabella Meno called "Have you seen my iPod?"

"No, sweetie. But I think it's in the kitchen."

It was a typical day in the Meno house. Rushing to get to school or work. Isabella looking for something and Gabriella not knowing where it is. But she wasn't Gabriella anymore, she was Vanessa.

Isabella was sixteen, the same age her mother was when she moved to Albuquerque. Gabriella had gone away to college in California and no one in the vicinity of East High ever heard from her again. She returned as Vanessa Meno five years after leaving. She kept a low profile after returning because she was having money problems and didn't want her high school friends to know about it.

Isabella kept a low profile as well. She was shy, like her mother was when she was young. Isabella was kind and respectful. She was an average student at East High. She had a lot of acquaintances but not a lot of friends. One of those acquaintances was Jack Bolton.

"Jack! Get down here." His father called "You're going to be late for school."

Jack Bolton, named after his grandfather, came rushing down the stairs of his large house with a basketball in his hand. "Gosh, Dad. I'm not going to be late. I'm never late."

Unlike his father, Jack was never pushed into playing basketball. He felt that it was his duty to carry on the Bolton family legacy. His dad and even his grandfather had been basketball stars at East High. He liked basketball, and it would probably help get him into college. Jack felt like something was missing though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was coming.

It was similar to the way Troy had felt when he tried out for the musical that one year. He and his wife Sharpay had decided not to tell Jack about his one time performance in a school musical. They told him that his mother was great actress and his father was a great basketball player, but never that his father had a great singing voice or that his mother was sneaky when she was in school.

Troy drove Jack to school on his way to work. Jack told his father that he thought basketball practice would run late that day because Mrs. Darbus (who was still teaching at the school 20 years later) had to use the gym for some drama thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack wasn't late for school, and even if he was, they wouldn't count it against him. He was a Bolton. Boltons had ruled the school for 40 years. And ever since his father had led the Wildcats to victory of the West High Knights, fifteen years before, the basket-cats hadn't lost a championship.

But still, something in Jack's life wasn't right. He wanted something more than this. Troy had never pushed his son into anything, including basketball. It was his grandfather who had done that.

In homeroom, Jack received a text message from his friend Jason Danforth. "Free period practice?" it read. Darbus still hated cell phones. She confiscated and issued detentions to all students who had taken their's out. That included Jack and Bobby. Jack reverted to "old school" messaging and wrote a note to Ryan. "I can't be there. Gotta catch up on homework. Run some passing drills. Last week's game wasn't too good in that area."

The bell rang and the students filed out of the room. Jack was deep in thought and didn't even notice the girl until he had plowed into her. Her papers went flying and Jack helped pick them up. He was distracted by a bright orange flyer reading "Power of the Pen. Expressing your thoughts through writing." He sighed and handed the papers to the girl.

"I'm really sorry." he didn't recognize her "Are you new here?"

"No. But you probably wouldn't know that." She said. She didn't mean it in a snotty way and Jack understood that. She was just quiet, he assumed.

"Well, I'm Jack Bolton." He extended his hand.

"I'm Isabella." She walked past him not giving him another glance.

Jack didn't spend his free period catching up on homework. He walked around the school, thinking. Thinking about everything that was missing from his life. No one knew this but, Jack wanted to be a writer. All his life he had written short stories during study hall and free period. He had never told his father for fear of rejection. Even though his father wasn't judgmental or controlling, Jack felt as if he would be a let down. Jack sighed deeply and went to second period.


	4. Chapter 4

Isabella's day went by like all the others. Frantic rush to get to school on time, school, Power of the Pen meeting, then work. _Work._ She thought _Great. I get a new house today._

Isabella cleaned houses. She was part of a maid service and was always getting new houses. All of her employers were constantly applauding her work, saying she was one of the best maids they'd ever had. _Just what I've always wanted to be. _She thought _The best maid ever_.

The new house was on the rich side of town, like all the others. It was big and intimidating, but much more intimidating than the others. In this house lived basket-cat superstar Jack Bolton. The first time Isabella had ever talked to Jack was that morning after home room. They'd gone to school together for 11 years, since kindergarten. He never even knew she existed.

Isabella braced herself and knocked on the door. A blond woman answered the door.

"Hello." She said. "Are you Isabella Meno?"

"I am." Isabella said. "Where should I start?"

"You're so young. How old are you?"

"I'm 15. I'm in 10th grade over at East High."

"Oh. You probably know my son, Jack Bolton" She said, still surprised by words "my" and "Bolton" in the same sentence after 20 years. "Well, I suppose you could start in the family room."

Isabella turned on her iPod. Taking Back Sunday's first CD rang in her ears as she cleaned the Bolton's house.

About an hour later, cleaning the bathroom, Isabella heard a noise. Someone had just walked into the house. They were walking up the steps, walking down the hall to the bathroom.

_She said  
"don't, don't let it go to your head  
Boys like you are a dime a dozen,  
Boys like you are a dime a dozen"  
She said  
"you're a touch overrated,  
you're a lush and I hate it  
but these grass stains on my knees  
they won't mean a thing" _

The words matched perfectly, the boy who entered the bathroom.

"Oh. I'm sorry" Jack said, startling Isabella. She jumped and her iPod fell into the toilet.

"Great!" she said in anguish.

"Oh. I am really sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here, I..." Isabella pushed past him, hoping he hadn't seen her face. But he had.

"Isabella?" Jack asked "Hey. Do you remember me from this morning?"

"Yeah." She said with a face of stone "Look, I'd really like if you didn't tell anyone that I'm working here. I mean, I don't really have many friends, and the ones I do have would probably think less of me if they knew and..."

"I won't. But, let me get you a new iPod or something. I feel really bad."

"No you don't have to do that. Really, it's no big deal."

"It is a big deal." He said, rolling up his sleeve and retrieving the broken iPod from the toilet "Tell you what. I'll give you a new iPod but you have to repay me by going to the carnival with me this weekend."

Isabella thought it over, "I don't know. IPods are expensive."

"My parents are fighting. My mom will take any excuse to spend the old man's money. It's not a big deal."

"I'm sorry..." he gave her the Bolton sad eyes "Okay." She left feeling something odd. She felt like she could take on anything that came her way.

_I cannot like Jack Bolton._ She thought, _That's just too weird._


	5. Chapter 5

The next day at school, Isabella found a note in her locker. "Your iPod is coming. You haven't changed your mind about Friday right? Jack"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Jack She gave him a smile that said "I have not changed my mind."

Isabella reported for work promptly that day, and started working. Jack wasn't home yet and neither was Sharpay. It was only Mr. Bolton and Isabella. She didn't think anything of it; she'd worked in an almost empty house before.

Troy told Isabella that Jack's room needed some tiding up, if she could do that. She obliged. When she went into Jack's room, Isabella felt weird, like she shouldn't be there. She quickly got over it and started cleaning, singing as she did. Her iPod was still in Jack's position, so she had to improvise. She sang a song that her mother used to sing when she was a baby. That was the only place Isabella had ever heard the song.

_We're soarin', flyin'  
There's not a star in heaven  
That we can't reach_

_If we're trying  
So we're breaking free _

_  
You know the world can see us  
In a way that's different than who we are  
Creating space between us'Til we're separate hearts _

_But your faith it gives me strength  
Strength to believe_

_  
We're breakin' free  
We're soarin'  
Flyin'  
There's not a star in heaven  
That we can't reach  
If we're trying  
Yeah, we're breaking free  
Oh, we're breakin' free  
Ohhhh_

_  
Can you feel it building  
Like a wave the ocean just can't control  
Connected by a feeling  
Ohhh, in our very souls  
Rising 'til it lifts us up  
So every one can see_

_We're breakin' free  
We're soarin'  
Flyin'  
There's not a star in heaven  
That we can't reach  
If we're trying  
Yeah we're breaking freeOhhhh runnin'  
Climbin'  
To get to that place  
To be all that we can be  
Now's the time  
So we're breaking free  
We're breaking free  
Ohhh , yeah _

_More than hope  
More than faith  
This is true  
This is fate And together  
We see it comin'More than you  
More than me  
Not a want, but a need  
Both of us breakin' free _

_Soarin'   
Flyin'  
There's not a star in heaven  
That we can't reach  
If we're trying  
Yeah we're breaking free  
Breaking free_

_  
Were runnin'  
Ohhhh, climbin'  
To get to the place  
To be all that we can be_

_  
Now's the time  
Now's the time  
So we're breaking free  
Ohhh, we're breaking free  
Ohhhh _

_You know the world can see us  
In a way that's different than who we are_

She was so into the song that she didn't even notice that Troy was standing in the doorway, dumbstruck. "Gabriella?"

"No, sir Gabriella is my middle name. My name is Isabella Gabriella Montez-Meno. Actually it's just Meno, but I like the Montez." Isabella said. But inwardly she was thinking _Why am I so confidant all of a sudden._

"Montez?" Troy asked. "Is your mother Gabriella?" Isabella nodded. "But she's married now, to this Meno?"

"No, sir." her shyness was coming back "My father, died a while back. She is not married. But also, sir, she goes by Vanessa now. That's her middle name."

"Right, of course." Troy picked up an envelope off of Jack's dresser. "Jack told me to give this to you when you came by. You can have the rest of the day off."

"Thank you Mr. Bolton." Isabella said, leaving the room.

"Call me Troy. Mr. Bolton makes me sound old." He said

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Troy." Isabella said closing the house door behind her.

About half way home, she opened the envelope. It read:

_Isabella,_

_I had practice today, or I would have stayed at home and talked with you. Also, some of the guys from basketball are coming over tomorrow right after school, so you should probably come at like 5:00 if you don't want them to see you. Your iPod should be here soon. See you at school tomorrow... and then again tomorrow night._

_Jack._

Isabella smiled to herself and continued the walk home.


End file.
